By Sister Stefanie MacDonald, OSB

Reading the Gospel of John today, I was struck by the women who stayed with Jesus until the end: Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, and Mary Magdalene.

What strength and courage it must have taken, to follow along.

They were Jesus’ loving presence … despite the horror.

They stayed put, through the end.

I wonder how they felt. It’s unimaginable to me. I am grateful for their determination to remain by his side, no matter what.

How many times have we remained by a friend’s side during a horrible trial? How many times have we turned away? How many times have we decided that visiting someone who is struggling with disease … grief … anxiety is too hard for us?

If we are to treat all as Christ – and we are – every time we’ve turned away, we’ve turned away from Jesus on the cross.

It’s never too late to change.